Helen French is the Executive Director of the St. Petersburg Arts Alliance, an internationally experienced dancer, choreographer, and arts administrator with more than two decades of leadership across performance, education, and strategic program development. A St. Petersburg native, she built a career on national and international stages before returning home to the city she loves. She earned her BFA from The Juilliard School and her MFA from Hollins University, and is dedicated to nurturing a vibrant, sustainable, and inclusive cultural landscape in St. Petersburg and beyond.

In 2001, Helen joined the renowned Buglisi Dance Theatre in New York City, rising to principal dancer and rehearsal director. Hailed as "altogether luminous" (Village Voice) and "generous and radiant" (ArtsHouston), she toured globally and played a pivotal role in staging the company's works at institutions including Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Pieve International School in Italy, and North Carolina Dance Theater. Her performance career also includes collaborations with Karen Reedy Dance, a residency at White Oak with choreographer Adam Hougland, and engagements at the Guggenheim Museum's prestigious Works & Process series.

Passionate about collaboration and the intersection of dance and other disciplines, Helen has created and performed work in theaters, museums, galleries, and unconventional spaces. Her collaborators have included visual artists Ya La'ford, Carrie Jadus, and Mark Aeling; playwright Sheila Cowley and Sparks Creative Stories; and composer and pianist John O'Leary, with whom she has created immersive, interdisciplinary works with visual artists Carol Mickett and Robert Stackhouse and choreographer Paula Kramer. She has brought the movable sculptures of Jason Hackenwerth to life, most recently in the premiere of Sparrows Dream, and performs as the fourth member of The Fractal, an improvisational quartet with musicians Robert Strickland, David Pate, and Jim Stewart.

In 2015, Helen co-founded BEACON, a celebrated dance performance series established in partnership with the Palladium Theater that showcases regional dance artists and welcomes new audiences to the performing arts; she continues to co-produce the series today. At the Palladium, she served as Development Associate, working in grant writing, fundraising strategy, and capital campaign efforts, and was an artist in residence and a 2021 and 2022 Palladium Creative Fellowship recipient.

As Executive Director, Helen's leadership is grounded in strategic vision, collaborative partnership, and operational excellence. She works to secure funding for major projects, support cross-sector artist collaborations, and launch educational initiatives that promote equity and access in the arts.

A dedicated educator, Helen has served on the faculties of The Juilliard School and George Mason University and as adjunct faculty at the Pinellas County Center for the Arts at Gibbs High School, and has worked as a teaching artist with Creative Clay, an organization that empowers individuals with disabilities through the arts.

Named the 2021 Artist Laureate by Creative Pinellas and a past recipient of Individual Artist Grants from the St. Petersburg Arts Alliance and Creative Pinellas, Helen previously served on the Arts Alliance board of directors, including a term as board chair. She lives in St. Petersburg with her family and is the proud mother of two boys. Through her dedication to artistry, education, and community, Helen works to build a city where the arts thrive for the next generation.